Feeding mechanism for shoe-machines.



T. LUND.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 8.10.1915- Pdtented Nov. 1231918.

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APPLIFIATION FILED. FEB-10.!9l5- Patented 'Nov. 12, 1918.

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T. LUND. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FFLED FEB-b1915- Patented Nov. 12, 1.918.

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THOMAS LUND, or BEVERLY, MAsseorrUsErrs, Assrcavon, BY MEsNEAss GN ENTs, T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATEBSON, NEW JERSEY, A 001i.-

PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOEJVIACHINES.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented NOV. 12, 1918.

' Application filed February 10, 1915. Serial No. 7,290.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, THOMAS LUND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for shoe-hdachines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to produce an organized mechanism for feeding heel, top lift or similar blanks automatically to a machine for operating upon 'them', such for example, as a heel attaching or a heel compressing machine; with the particular end in view of so improving blank feeding devices of this class as to make their operation certain and accurate, with the expenditure of a minimum of time upon the part of the attendant.

A feature of the invention consists in a magazine comprising a plurality of sections, one of which is removable and constructed and arranged to support and retain, when removed. a stack of heel blanks by engagement with two edges of each blank. In a preferred form of the invention the magazine consists of complemental,trough shaped blank alining and guiding members having transversely overlapping portions which are detachably secured together in such a way that one of the trough shaped members may be readily removed. A stack of heel blanks may be placed in such a magazine section with great ease and rapidity and the loaded section may be carried about conveniently without disarranging the blanks therein.

Further important features of the invention consist in devices for keeping the blanks under control while they are being trans ferred from the magazine to the machine, which is to operate upon them. I have dis covered that it is possible to keena heel blank under control most easily during a feeding movement by pressing the blank flat. as it emerges from the magazine,=and dividing the feeding movement into a plurality of steps. In the machine herein shown and described, a blankis fed from the magszine, advanced a limited distance and then,

after an intermission in the feedingmove ment, is advanced farther. In order to'secure the best control of the blank during the feeding operation, it is preferable that in the successive steps of the feeding movement, the blanks be advanced in different planes and, therefore, in accordance with the present invention, means are provided for feeding the blank a limited distance in one plane in combination with means for feeding the blank farther in another plane. Other features of the invention consist in improvements in details. and combinations of mechanism which will be fully described hereinafter and defined in the claims.

While I have selected a top lift feeding mechanism applied to a compressing machine as an illustrative embodiment to aid in describing my invention, it should be understood that the invention may be embodied advantageously in other formsof construction, arranged to feed various kinds of blanks to difierent machine's, without losing its identity;

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a portion of a top liftcompressing machine with the automatic blank feeding device arranged in operative relation thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig, 1, looking at the machine froni another view point;

Fig. 3 isa longitudinal, central, vertical section of the same mechanism; I

Figs. 4 and 5*show details of themechanism for keeping the blanks under control while they are between the magazine andthe compressing machine; I

Fig. 6 is a perspective viewshowing a de-' A'elamp '16 isslidabl y. friountedtdmove to i and fro upon the top'of the bracket 14, the

reciprocating movement" being effected by r i lever andlinkmechanism 'l8i' In the usual method of operation ofthe machine, the top liftsare-pla'ced singly, by hand, inthe clamp 1-6 when the clampiis at' a'poi'nt remote from I the compressing dies and are carried into the machine and deposited upon one of the compressing dies by the clamp.

1n the machine shown herein, a magazine supporting member 20 is secured to the bracket 14, extending upwardly therefrom and carrying magazine 22 adapted to support a stack of top lifts. The magazine 22 comprises two complementary trough-shaped sections 24 and 26. The section 26 is secured adjustably to the supporting member 20 by wing nuts 28 threaded upon bolts 30, in the magazine section, which pass through transverse slots 32 in the supporting mem ber. Screws 34 passing through the supporting member bear upon the bolts 30. and constitute means for effecting transverse ad justmcnt of the magazine section 26 relative to the bracket 14- and other mechanism to be described hereafter.

The magazin section 24 is connected to the section 26 by bolt and slot connections 36 which permit transverse adjustment of the section 24 and allow it to be removed readily from the machine. The supporting member 20 is so constructed that the magazine secured to it is inclined toward the front of the machine as is clearly apparent from Fig. 3.

A pair of lift supporting plates 38 is socured to the supporting member 20, extending rearwardly above, and parallel to, the upper surface of the bracket 14. The rear end of the clamp 16 is mounted upon a slide 40 which carries a pusher 42. The plates 38 are located immediately beneath the lower end of the magazine in such a position as to support the stack of lifts contained therein and are spaced apart sufficiently to allow the pusher 42 to move forwardlv and rearwardly between them. Upon the plates 38 is mounted a bridge 44 to which are secured members for guiding the lift and keeping it under control. A horizontal presser plate 46 having its front end upturned. as shown at 48, is guided for vert cal movement bv pins 50 passing through the bridge 44 and is yieldinglvpressed downwardlv by a spring 52. The limit. of movement of the plate 46 is adjustably determined by a nut 54 threaded upon a bolt proiecti g upwardly from the plate. The relation of the late 46. 48 to the stack of lifts and th pu her 42 is such that when the bottom lift of the stack is pushed out by the pusher. it immediately enters under the plate. which vields upwardly sufficiently to permit the lift to move under it but presses downwardlv upon the lift. keeping the latter at upon the ates 38. Fingers 56. at the lower e d of the magazine. guide the lifts a d prevent them from escaping transverselv.

The throw of the pusher 42 is such that it advances the lift until the latter drops ofi from the ends of the plates 38 upon a plate 58 which is secured to and moves with the slide 40. At this stage of the operation, the parts of the machine are in the position shown in Fig. 3. The pusher is then retracted. The top fac of the pusher is formed with an inclined portion 60 and the parts are so arranged that as the pusher is retracted under the stack of lifts, the lifts are raised slightly in the magazine and drop down past the nose of the pusher as it passes out from under them. The bottom lift in the stack is then in position to be engaged by the nose of the pusher upon its next feeding movement and fed along, as above described. By reason of the inclination of the magazine and the raising and lowering of the stack of lifts therein at each reciprocation of the pusher, the lifts are agitated and moved relatively to each other sutficiently to prevent them from becoming caught or stuck together. and the accuracy and certainty of the feeding of the blanks is greatly facili tated.

Inasmuch as the slide 40, pusher and plate 58 are all rigidly secured together and move together, the plate 58 upon which. the

lift 62, shown in Fig. 3, rests, is withdrawn from beneath the lift, which is prevented from moving with the plate 58 by the ends of the plates 38. as shown in Fig. 4. The lift, therefore. finally drops off the plate 58, as shown in Fig. 5, into the clamp 16 which is at that time in position to receive it in a plane below that of the plate 58. Upon the next advancing movement of the slide 40, the clamp 16 carries the lift into the compressing machine and deposits it in the mold 10.

A pair of fingers 64 is arranged to guide the lift while it is upon the plate and prevent it from escaping transversely thereof, while a stop 66 adjustably mounted upon the bridge 44 prevents the lift from advancing too far by reason of the momentum imparted to it by the pusher. but permits the lift to drop into the clamp 16 at the proper time.

A retainer 68 is detachably secured to the lower end of the removable magazine section 24 and serves to support the stack of blanks while the loaded magazine section is being carried about and applied to the machine. The retainer 68 is removed before the operation of feeding the blanks commences.

In practice. it is contemplated that a number of portable trough shaped magazine sections 24 shall be provided. One of these sect ons may be filled with a stack of blanks. as shown in Fig. 7, and applied to the machine. W'hile the machine is in operation, other trough shaped sections may be filled with blanks in readiness to be applied to the same or another machine when the supply of blanks in its magazine has become exhausted. The operation of substituting a loaded magazine section for the corresponding detachable section of the emptied magazine, requires but a moment and the delay resulting from stopping the machine for a period of time suilicient to permit a nonremovable magazine upon it to be filled with single blanks is avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a machine for operating upon heels, a magazine comprising a plurality of sections, one of which is removable and con structed and arranged to support and retain, when removed, a stack of heel blanks by engagement with two edges of each blank.

2. In a machine for operating upon heels, a heel blank magazine comprising two complemental, blank alining and guiding members having transversely overlapping portions, means for supporting the first of said members in an upright position, and means for detachably securing together the overlapping portions of said members, whereby the second of said members may be supported by the first and readily removed therefrom.

3. In a machine for operating upon heels, a heel blank magazine comprising complemental, trough shaped, blank alining and guiding members having transversely over lapping portions, means for detachably securing said portions together, means for supporting one of said members in an upright position, means for supporting a stack of heel blanks loosely between the members, and mechanism for feeding the blanks, one at a time, from the bottom of the stack.

I. In a machine for operating upon heels, the combination of a blank magazine, means for supporting a stack of blanks in the mag azine, a movable supporting member beneath the plane of said means, means for removing a blank from the magazine and depositing it upon said member, a flat presser in the path of the blank as it emerges from the magazine, means for withdrawing said memher from beneath the blank and allowing the blank to drop a limited distance, and feeding means for thereafter advancing the blank further.

5. In a machine for operating upon heels, the combination of a blank magazine, means for supporting a stack of blanks in the magazine, a slide mounted to reciprocate beneath the magazine, means upon the slide for engaging the lowermost blank in the magazine and pushin it out of the magazine and off the supporting means, means for pressing the blank fiat upon said supporting means as it emerges from the magazine, a member upon the slide in advance of the pusher for receiving the blank from the supporting means, and a feeding clamp upon the slide in advance of said member for receiving the blank therefrom and feeding it forward.

6. In a machine for operating upon heel blanks, the combination of a magazine, a plate supporting a stack of blanks in the magazine, a reciprocating pusher arranged to remove the bottom blank from the magazine and advance it along the surface of the supporting plate, a presser for keeping the blank flat upon the plate, a sto for limiting the extent of movement of the blank and a feeding clamp arranged to receive the blank and feed it beyond the stop.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS LUND.

Witnesses:

JAMES O. WRIGHT, WILLIAM B. KING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

